My old 60GB iPod packed in recently and I had to start looking around for a replacement. I was spoilt for choice with Apple's new range of iPhones, iTouchs, Nanos and other funky named gizmos. People have been going on and on about the iPhone about how brilliant and easy it is but I have to say I have not been convinced at its charm.

I ask myself is it really neccessary and practical to have everything in one device. Pretty soon our lives may be reduced to one little black box which will control everything!

The main argument that they throw at you is that it is good to have your iTunes library, videos and use of a mobile phone in one device. The first issue I would point out is that the iPhone's maximum capacity is 16 GB which is not ideal if you have a collection that is larger than this. It just means you have to spend ages swapping playlists when you get bored with your music. This is just a hassle especially as you have probably bought an iPhone to make things easier. As far as space goes, you can now get an iPod classic with a wapping 120GB for only £169.

The other point that my flatmate pointed out is if you want to connect it to your laptop and use as a modem - forget it! You can only use the iPhones built in browser to surf the internet. It will currently not allow the use of browsing on external hardware. Other standard 3G phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson will allow you to do this.

The last issue is cost. For the most part the iPhone is a over-priced flashy bit of equipment that doesn't do any more than other mobile phones currently do at the moment. The handset on its own costs over £300. Alternatively you might get it cheaper by signing up for one of the mobile phone tariffs. However, in most cases you will end up paying the same if not more in the long run. Other mobile phones can already take pictures, play music, access the internet, etc and they do this at a comparitively lower price. It is also important to point out that they are significantly less bulky than the iPhone and do not have a massive screen that could get broken or scratched easily (see picture at the top!).

A lot of the people I have met with iPhones seem to band them in a kind of 'look at me I'm so cool' fashion. On closer examination it is often apparent that they are unaware of many of the features that it offers. Worse still some of them seem to also carry an iPod around with them as well which further defeats the object of having an iPhone in the first place. They obviously enjoy wasting their money.

Thanks very much but I'll settle for a new iPod Classic and a separate mobile phone.

Many couldn't believe it could happen but it has. The USA will see an African-Amercian president for the first time in history. I had my fingers crossed yesterday but victory for Obama never really looked in that much doubt.

It was the most expensive campaign in American history fought over a period of 22 months with many twists and turns. Originally the key issue was Iraq but when the economic crisis happened in September it changed the course of the election.

As mentioned in a previous post both Obama and McCain used new media, internet, social networking very effectively to deliver their message. In doing so they have successfully gained a massive turnout at the polls from people who may not have normally voted. Obama has successfully engaged with different communities and his message has motivated young people. Even 'ghetto street kids' in Harlem know his name. His campaign has been helped tremendously by endorsements from people like Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen, and other media and music icons.

The success of Obama signifies a shift in thinking in the US which will be felt around the rest of the world. Gordon Brown has indicated his support and says he will be looking forward to working with him. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has also congratulated Barack Obama on his victory and hopes it will lead to better ties with the US and India.

While there were many issues that came up, the issue of race is one that couldn't be ignored. His victory will be especially poignant for African Americans who lived through the civil rights unrest. In the South of the US it was a long time before African Americans could even vote. People like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and others gave there whole life to the struggling for equality and justice for African Americans. The Obama win is built on their struggle and would not have been possible without them.

However, people should not forget other issues like Business and Foreign policy. Obama will have a tough time with state of the economy and will have to provide business with some hope. As far as foreign policy goes I was a little uneasy at his inflexible stance of 'just fighting and catching the bad guys'. Many people in other parts of the world hoped that he would have a more progressive stance to foreign policy. They may be disappointed with his position which is not much more moderate than the McCain alternative.

Whatever happens now Obama has a difficult road ahead and a lot to live up to. This should not take away from this victory has achieved. It is all certainly a step in the right direction...

Google recently celebrated its ten year anniversary recently and over the last couple of years we have seen its meteroric rise from a university research project to one of the world's most successful companies. However I have a slightly differing perspective (as always!) to the norm with respect to the search engine.

People are now so used to 'Googling' things that it has now become second nature. Google has become an almost indispensible lifestyle and business tool with people using it buy products and services as well as research and general surfing. Having said this the evolution of IT and Web Technology is very quick. History has taught us that the rules of the game change often.

Google's income mostly comes from its innovative non-intrusive advertising techniques. These have worked very well so far but I must say that I for one pay little or no attention to sponsored links whether they are on the top or on the side. I do not think I am alone. As people get more and more accustomed to Google and they will start to ignore all the irrelevant information. They will have to because there is so much rubbish out on the net it is unbelievable. Companies may find that there pay-per-click and other advertising may become less effective on Google.

However, this is not the only strategy employed to get positive exposure on Google. Research shows that statistically people most of the time only look at the first three search engine results. This has given rise to a whole specific industry who's sole purpose is to get your company to the top spot of Google. The process is called Search Engine Optimisation. These companies streamline your website with related keywords (search terms that be picked up by Google) and generally create more links to their site from other sites to increase your Google ranking. There are other strategies involved in SEO too and everyone seems to be obsessing about it at the moment. Competition is fierce for the top spots and there are lot of SEO companies cashing in on this at the moment.

My problem with this if everyone is doing this I feel it may undermine the integrity search engine process as whole. If you are search for stuff and all you get is rubbish and websites trying to sell you things you may soon get sick of the search engine and lose trust in it. This is something that Google should be paying attention to as at the moment they are one of the most trusted and liked brands out there but it could all change so quickly! It also seems to assume that Google is the ultimate internet authority. It is certainly one of them now but may not be for ever as IT world moves very quickly. The question is will these companies, who rely on SEO in Google, be able to adapt when the game changes (which it inevitably will). I think many of them would be left behind if other search engines were to become more popular. Different search engines use different techniques to crawl the net so what works for Google will not be as effective in other ones. Companies offering SEO will also have to adapt very significantly or enjoy their current success while it lasts.

There are new search engines appearing now and the older ones like Altavista and Yahoo may soon catch up with Google in time. Resently some ex-Google employees set up a search engine called Cuil which has a more magazine like interface. I have to say I really like Cuil too.

However, it does not end there. Google offer other services like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Earth, along with a whole manner of others which are fantastic and very versatile. They now also own YouTube and will pounce on the next big thing I am sure! Then again the popularity of Facebook shows that other companies are on the rise too.

Maybe Google have realised that their days may be numbered as the top search engine and have branched out into other areas. However, Google's search engine is still central to its reputation and other services will to a greater extent rely on its continued success.

Oh Gosh! I have just realised Google actually also own the company who host this blog! I love you Google honest I do! :-)

On Saturday I was absolutely fine but on Sunday I woke up with a feeling that spelled impending doom! No it wasn't alcohol related it was this year's round of the flu!

I am always surprised at this time of year in UK (when it starts to get wintery) how colds and flu seem to creep up on us unawares like grey mist getting thicker and thicker! Sometimes you get off light and you only have a runny nose and feel drained. Other times you get the full blown event with headaches, fever and a general gloomy feeling that you wouldn't mind if the earth swallowed you up now! If you can get the sleep that is good but quite often the illness renders you for the most part incapacitated but conscious as you struggle to make the next cup of lemsip.

Some people's approach is to take enough medicine that they walk around some strange trance state not unlike 'Dawn of the Dead'. Whether it's cough syrup, paracetemol or ibuprofen they get stocked up on all of it. I personally don't recommend this course of action as I believe the best way is to let you body deal with it in its own way. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?

You are always left with an annoying waiting game with the virus in which all you can do is stick it out. It helps if you can convince someone else to look after everything while you are ill as cooking dinner and tidying up becomes a real chore. Sympathy always goes down a treat too. Then again being alone has its merits - you don't necessarilly want to deal with other people's issues when you are ill.

Anyway if you are also down with flu, cold or similar virus at the moment my heart goes out to you! Hang on in there!

Gosh - I've managed to write a whole post complaining about being ill! I must be feeling better...

I have been watching the US Presidential Race between Barack Obama and John McCain with much interest. To be honest I have a lot of disagreements with the way the USA generally handle themselves especially with their foreign policy. They don't do themselves any favours and whoever gets in will have a difficult road ahead especially with financial situation at the moment. Having said that it will be good to see Obama in though as he seems to have a plan and is certainly inspiring young american voters.

The final presidential debate yesterday made for some interesting viewing especially when they kept talking about Joe the Plumber! I initially thought like many people, 'who the hell is Joe the Plumber?'

Apparently Joe the Plumber is a small business owner who challenged Obama over his economic policy when he was campaigning in Ohio at the beginning of the week. His name has now become famous as unwitting symbol of the econonic situation in the US because of being mentioned so many times in the final presidential debate.

Barack and John went on to discuss the issue of negative advertising in both of their campaigns. Both of these guy have been have mudslinging at each other the last few months. I think it doesn't send out the right message generally to focus on the negative. The Americans need positive solutions from their presidential candidates not personal attacks on each other.

McCain choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate has also been the source of much debate. In my opinion I am pretty shocked that someone like her could rise to such a position of influence. She comes from Alaska and is known for her radical creationist views. I find it hard to take her seriously. Go American Soccer Mums! Yeah whatever...

One thing I will say about both Obama and McCain's campaign is their impressive use of new media and the internet to propel their campaigns. Both have used Facebook, YouTube and Blogs to very good effect to engage with especially younger voters. Our very own UK policians could learn a lot from this as they seem to be very slow in the uptake of new media. Number 10's YouTube channel is a start but doesn't seem to be getting many hits. It's a shame but I don't think British Politicians have the media savvy or 'Pzazz' of their American Counterparts.

Barack Obama is one of the most charismatic speakers I have ever seen. He seems to really engage his audience in their own language. If he got in it would of course be historic as he would be the first American president of African descent. He is even inspiring kids from the ghetto areas of the US which is amazing feat. Symbolically in the US and across the world (even here in the UK) his appointment would have massive affect and would mean a radical shift in thinking.

Also I know this may sound ageist but I would imagine the American presidential role to be very demanding if not one of the most demanding roles there is. It would probably be more suitable for someone in his forties.

Fingers crossed Obama gets in as we don't want another four years of a Bush-style Government throwing its weight around. A change we can believe in? We hope....as I'm sure Joe the Plumber will.

The third series of 'Ross Kemp On Gangs' has now come to a close on Sky 1. In this post I want to communicate my general admiration for the series and talk about some of the issues it throws up about the reality of the world we live in today.

If you are not familiar with 'Ross Kemp On Gangs' it follows Ross Kemp as he travels to different countries around the world to examine serious issues surrounding gang culture. Ross gets into some sticky situations as he tries to discover the truth about gangs are fighting about. Possibly the most dangerous parts are when goes and meets the gangs themselves and interviews the gang leaders. For instance he has members of the US gangs Bloods, Crips and the Latin Kings. Some of the other countries that have been featured in the series include Brazil, New Zealand, Jamaica, Poland and of course the 'good ole UK'!

With this show Ross has managed to totally revive his career. Many people know him as 'Grant' from Eastenders but after that Ross Kemp did not really hit home any of the shows he did. I guess he decided to chuck in the third rate ITV cop dramas for something with a bit more balls and the 'On Gangs' Series is definitely that! The show won a BAFTA in May 2007 for best factual show.

Having watched the series, it really has opened my eyes to the issues that people face around the world. In my mind it seems to be same issues that come up over and over again whatever country it is or whatever gang it is. Firstly it is that of economics, when there is a large gap between rich and poor the less well off understandably get angry when they have to struggle to make ends meet. Seeing as there are limited resources they have to band together for protection. The gang problem arises when you get lots of people banding together like this and competing for scarce resources. In many cases there are little or no job opportunities for these people and some may come from broken families. For them the gang is all they have and they will defend it at any cost. This may be difficult for the average person to understand until they have been in the situation themselves.

Secondly, they seem to be in an environment where there is deep seeded political or social instability. In the case of Kenya there has been history of political uncertainty leading to people of different tribes having difficulty asserting there collective identities. Again a gang provides this identity, philosophy, structure and pride for these people. Also Politicians and other people in authority, who seem squeaky clean in public, are manoeuvring situations to there own ends and perpertuating the problem.

Thirdly, Greed and Power are two powerful motivators. The gangs compete over who controls the territory, money, drugs, prostitution, rackets, etc. In all gangs some people are leaders and some people are followers. The leaders all want to be at the very top and followers all want to know they are following the right leader. This can be the case for men especially who are attracted to power, competition and high status.

It is very sad to see the number of disillusioned, angry and frustrated men in these gangs (though there are many women too) who would kill members of a rival gang in a blink of an eye. In my opinion they become this way because there is no positive outlet or role models for them and everyone wants to express themselves. I am not condoning the terrible acts of violence that they perpertrate. A lot of these are unspeakable with no regard for human life and quite often innocent people get caught in the crossfire.

I cannot help thinking though that in a different environment these 'gang leaders' might have been successful career and business people if they had chosen this path or given the opportunity.

The gang problem is something that has to be addressed by Politicians, Police, Community Leaders and public at large. People have to be provided with viable alternatives to joining gangs through appropriate education and interaction with positive role models.

Anyway well done to Ross Kemp and the other people behind the show for bringing these issues to our attention.

It has been over a year since I have entered the world of PR and I have certainly had a lot of crazy experiences. Along the way I had the privilege of working for a lot of different clients but working on the Weston Pier strategy is one of my most interesting roles yet.

My speciality was always the online world and my challenge was fusing that with conventional PR strategies. When the Weston Pier fire story broke it was massive news both in the conventional media and online. The BBC video of the fire was one the most viewed videos ever on the site. The story also made international news everywhere from the USA, to Canada, to South Africa, to Australia.

A month ago our company, Empica, was appointed to handle the PR for Weston Pier. We are overseeing all parts of the strategy from the disaster itself to rebuilding of the pier. It has been a rollercoaster ride since then and we have had to deal with Radio, TV and the Press all wanting the latest news. For my part I am in charge of Weston Pier's online strategy which includes monitoring stories online and social networking.

There has been an overwhelming reaction on facebook as well with many Weston Pier groups being set up. The biggest of these is in the region of 14,000 members.

The big news that broke yesterday was that of the new designs of the pier. Everyone in the media was literally scrambling over the pictures of the designs (the phones were red hot in the office!). I must say that I have never seen anything like this let alone be working on the project. You can see the top of this post for one of the designs and check out the rest on the BBC website.

I look forward to see how the story unfolds as the rebuilding of the pier commences.

I am a big fan of the Sopranos so had to write a post about it. Earlier this year I finished watching the last series. It was created by David Chase and follows a New Jersey crime family headed by Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) through its ups and downs in dealing with rival mob families from New York and the FBI. A lot the story is based around the Bada Bing strip club which they own and run as front for other 'family' activities. Along with this it also follows the 'conventional' family life of Tony Soprano who has wife Carmella (Edie Falco) and two children by the names of Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and Anthony Junior (Robert Iler).

If you don't know about The Sopranos where have you been? It has won a ton of Emmys and is one the most popular US TV shows ever. The attention to detail, script writing, directions, character depth, music and plot are outstanding. What is more they keep a consistently high standard through all six seasons. I am very surprised that it is still relatively unknown in the UK. Maybe people would rather watch the same boring rubbish on Big Brother or something. What a shame!

Anyway one of the most compelling characters on the Sopranos is Paulie Walnuts (played by Tony Sirico). Paulie eventually becomes one of Tony's 'Capos'. He is a smooth talking, machismo mafioso with strange sense of humour. He has some great lines and is always very passionate but not the most shrewdest of characters. As you can see from the clip below he is very proud of his Italian roots!



Paulie's character is not alone. Every single character is played brilliantly and you actually almost get to know them after a while. Steve Buscemi even makes an appearance in Season 5 as Tony's long lost cousin.

The Sopranos has now finished after six seasons. I really miss it - I think it is probably the best TV show I have ever seen. Well done HBO! Look forward to more TV shows like this.

It was an pretty average evening in my flat and I decided I was a bit peckish (which means hungry for the US readers). It was that kind of hunger that can only be satisfied by the wonder that is frozen food. It's cheap, it's lazy - job done.

So there I was with a frozen pizza in hand and packet of frozen chips in the other thinking 'what now?' Having had a look at the pizza box I determined the cooking time to be 25 minutes. Great, I thought, as the chip packet said the cooking time would be 25-30 minutes. At this point I assessed that if I was to put both of them in the oven at the same time they would both be ready at the same time and I would be in for a small banquet. How wrong I was! After 25 minutes of searing heat from the oven the pizza was done (almost over-done). However, the chips where bare done at all and still soft!

I decided to take the pizza out of the oven and turn up the heat. I even opted for the oven's fan assisted option. After 40 minutes (double the time stated on the packet) the chips were almost done but still a bit soft. At this point I chose take them out and start eating as the pizza, which had now been standing out for 20 minutes, was now cold. This meant I ended up with cold pizza and underdone chips - I was not a happy bunny. Is too much to ask the frozen chip industry put a more realistic cooking time on their packets? The pizza people got it right...

Most people that know me know that I have always been passionate about Drum'n'Bass music. It is a style of music that is constantly evolving and diversifying in different genres and sub-genres. I have dabbled in some d'n'b production over the years too and I hope to take this up again soon.

Anyway in this post I wanted to share some interesting facts about Drum'n'Bass that most people may not be aware of.


1. Made in the UK! - Drum'n'Bass is the only musically genre to be made in the UK. While it draws many influences from outside it has developed exclusively in the UK.

2. It's gone Worldwide - While Drum'n'Bass used to be just a UK ting, there are new scenes cropping up all around the world (such as Germany, Brazil, Holland, Scandanavia, Eastern Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, USA Canada and Japan). Recently even the French have begrudgingly embraced a Drum'n'Bass scene.

3. David Bowie did a Drum'n'Bass Album - Even Rock Legend David Bowie saw the light when he released his album 'Earthling' in 1997. 'Little Wonder' was released as a single and it was 'little wonder' it didn't do so well as I don't think Bowie actually understood Drum'n'bass (Genius that he is!)

4. The Live Act - Drum'n'Bass is one of the few electronic dance music styles that can be performed live with 'real instruments'. After winning the Mercury Music Prize in 1997 Roni Size's Reprazent paved the way for the Drum'n'Bass live act. Their act featured live drums, live double bass and live vocals. Since then others have built on the live sound such as London Elektricity and Craggz and Parallel Forces.

5. Drum'n'Bass in Adverts - Advertisers use Drum'n'Bass as bedding music. Check out the Specsavers or Ford Focus ads for good examples. Even Pantene Pro V used a Drum'n'Bass track in their ad - who'd have thought it!

6. Drum'n'Bass in the Movies - More and more Drum'n'Bass producers are getting involved movie soundtracks though they don't shout about it. For example The Italian Job (2003) soundtrack was composed by Photek (long time and well respected producer).

7. Drum'n'Bass Producer makes waves in the Hip Hop Scene - In 2002 Adam F proved he could make it in the Stateside Hip hop world when he released the album 'Anti Acoustic Warfare'. He teamed up with likes of Redman, De La Soul and LL Cool J among others.

8. Who are the Godfathers? -Since the early nineties LTJ Bukem, Fabio and Grooverider have been pushing the Breakbeat, Jungle and Drum'n'Bass sound in the clubs. Nowadays Fabio has his own Radio Show on Radio 1. Fabio effectively created a sub genre known as 'Liquid'. Bukem championed Ambient D'n'B in the 90s and is still DJing along with running the record label Good Looking Records. Grooverider has recently been released from prison in Dubai after a drugs charge! We look forward to having him back.

9. How can I forget the Man Goldie?!! - Wild child of Drum'n'Bass, Goldie (real name Clifford Price) is famous for his album 'Timeless' and seminal track 'Inner City Life' in 1995. On his next album 'Saturnz Return' he did an immense 1 hour track dedicated to his mother. Goldie has crossed over into TV and Movie Land. He starred as a Bond Villain in the film 'The World is Not Enough' and had a brief apperance in 'Snatch'. He also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother but was kicked out of the house pretty soon after! He was even in Eastenders briefly playing a gangster with a bad attitude. Not a difficult role to pull off for him I think and Im sure he gave Phill Mitchel a run for his money. He has continued to make waves in the scene with his long standing label, Metaheadz and a new album called Sine Tempus.

10. Drum'n' Bass is not Dead! This is the biggest load of BS ever as you can see from the previous 9 points. I have a theory that this is most likely a conspiracy created by the UK Garage headz in about 1999 and 2000 (you know who you are!! lol!) I have one question for them "where is UK Garage now?" ;-) Drum'n'Bass continues to goes from strength to strength without compromising its roots.

If you are interested in checking out some of the tunes I did a while back head over to www.myspace.com/taurusbeatz

It is hard for me to to really chose a topic to focus on a the moment. So much seems to be going on at the moment from the Global Financial Crisis to Facebook's new look.

What I will say is that everything seems to be speeding up with internet communications. Something can happen on one side of the world and within seconds it can be transmitted to the other side of the world. It is certainly the the wonder of technology that the world has become an even smaller place.

It is possible now to virtually walk the streets of Tokyo and New York with Google's Street View. Coming from the UK, I have never been to Tokyo but now I have an idea of what it looks like without going there.

I think all of these developments are good and I think it can certainly help people to share ideas. I hope it will mean that people will be able to understand each other better. Unfortunately there is a negative side to this as well. Unfounded rumours and scaremongering spread like wild fire. As we have seen over the last month or so with 'credit crunch', information has spread across the world instantaneously causing panic in places. It has cost companies millions and been the demise of others.

It looks like we've opened Pandora's Box and we are finding it very difficult to control it at the moment.